AusChron: Steve Wiebe on ‘Kong’

AusChron: Steve Wiebe on 'Kong'

In this week’s Austin Chronicle, Carson Baker checks in with Steve Wiebe, a.k.a. the “good guy” in Seth Gordon’s highly enjoyable and entertaining documentary The King of Kong (SXSW 2007). It opens in limited released this weekend, including Austin’s Alamo South Lamar, which is going all-out with “Donkey Kong” matches and an appearance by Wiebe himself. From Baker’s article:

Gordon does a compelling job of building character so much that it blurs the line between documentary and script. Mitchell’s Lynyrd Skynyrd hair and Stephen Colbert attire is a stark contrast against Wiebe’s soft-spokeness and Mr. Rogers mannerisms. Though the movie ends with a declared king, the battle for the throne continues.

“Billy came out with a score a couple of weeks ago that was about 1,000 points higher than mine,” Wiebe says. “It seemed awkward. I couldn’t tell if it was videotaped or if he actually played it live.”

As the swords clash over who will be the next king, Wiebe claims that he still spends hours in his garage, between a video game and a water heater, sharpening his blade.